It takes a special kind of gift to sing with this kind of power at 73 years old. Fans were blown away by Heart frontwoman Ann Wilson’s majestic voice when the band covered the Led Zeppelin classic “Going to California” on The Howard Stern Show. In the viral performance, Ann delivered the power and the glory with her voice, while also conveying a delicate, emotional feel in the softer verses. The Californian star really has the total package as a vocalist.
Having that total mastery of her range and technique while also singing with such emotional weight is not something you hear every day. The Music Man has to say that singing Robert Plant’s parts is also such a tall order, due to the versatility it takes and how distinctive his style is. Ann’s sister Nancy Wilson likewise hit the mark playing Jimmy Page’s acoustic guitar part, while the band nailed the dynamic folk arrangement with aplomb.
The Howard Stern Show uploaded Heart’s take on “Going to California” to YouTube on April 11, 2024, and it has drawn about 1.4 million views.
The Howard Stern Show session is not the first time Heart has performed a memorable take on a Led Zep classic. One of Heart’s finest hours came when they performed “Stairway to Heaven” at the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors. This was made particularly special as Led Zeppelin’s surviving members were right there in the audience, and Robert Plant was seen tearing up. The moment where John Bonham’s son Jason, who played drums on the cover, acknowledges the Zeppelin members is also very sweet.
Led Zeppelin issued “Going to California” as the seventh track on their untitled fourth studio album. The song was penned by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, with the former also handling production.
The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that the folk tune features a mandolin performance by the band’s bassist John Paul Jones, adding to the distinctive folk arrangement. Jimmy used an unusual double drop D guitar tuning (D-A-D-G-B-D) on the recording, further fostering a unique sound.
Robert, who is known for being his own harshest critic when it comes to his lyrics, told Spin magazine that the song “might be a bit embarrassing at times lyrically, but it did sum up a period of my life when I was 22.”